Delivery-box



F. KEES DELIVERY BOX.

APPucAnoN mio June 25.1918.

3,3653252, A Patenten-un@ 3,1919.

Z4 u n BML@ UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.i

FREDERICK KEES, lOIE' MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

DELIVERY-BX.

To all 'whom it may concern: l

Be it known that I, FREDERICK KEEs, a citizen of the United States,` resident of Minneapolis, county of Hennepin, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in DeliveryfBoxes, of

' outside and then removed whenever desired by opening the door onV the inside.

The object of my invention is to provide a combined lock for the outside door kand an indicator visible on the inside, the position of which determines whether the outside.` door is locked or released; 4

VA further and particular object of the invention is to provide a locking device for Vvthe outside door which will allow the delivery man to-open the door and place his pack-fY ages in the box and then when the door is closed it will be automatically locked untilsuch time as it is released by someone in the' Y spring is raised, as shown in Fig. 2, the pin house.

. The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, allV as hereinai'ter described and particularly pointed out in the claims. Y 4' In the accompanying drawings Olmllgi' part of .this specification, Y

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view Vthrough a portion of a house wall and a delivery box mounted therein embodying my' invention, showing the outside door in its locked position, x.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the out, side door released, j

Fig. 3 is a bottom view, illustrating the. mechanism for shifting the positionof the' indicator and the locking device when the outside door is opened,

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the locking def. vice, in position to lock the outside door when it is closed.

Figs. aand 6 are detail views looking at the end "of the locking device, showing the diiierent positions assumed by the locking spi'ing and the pin carried by the rotating rod.

In the drawing, 2 represents the wall of the building, 3 is a delivery box mounted in said Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Julie 3, 1919.

Application filed J une 25, 1918. Serial No. 241,735.

door 5 provided with the usual latches 6. 7

is a plate secured to the outside door on the insideof the box. 8 is acatch projecting inwardly from the plate and 9 is a spring member secured at 10 to a frame ll'that is mounted in the top of the box and provided with depending end portions 12. The spring 9 projects through a slot 13 in the depending end 12 adjacent the outside door and has a downwardly turned part 111 to engage the catch 8 and normally lockthe outside door in its closed position. A rod 15 is mounted in bearings in the depending ends 12 and projects through the inner wall of the box and is provided with an indicator 16. The outer end of the rod 15 is Iprovided with! a block 17 having a p-in 18 mounted therein, s aid block normally bearing on a plate 19 that is mounted on the underside of the spring 9. When the rod 15 is rotated in one direction, the spring 9 will be raised and put under tension and the part 14 disengaged from the catch on the outside door,

V18 Vwill be turned from a horizontal to a Yvertical'position and the block 17 engaging the spring will hold it as shown in Fig. 2, out ot'engagement with catch 8 and allow the outside door to be opened. A pin 20 is l mounted in the plate 7 and projects horizonltally therefrom and is provided with a cam surface 21 to engage the pin 1 8 so that when the outside door is opened, the pin will be moved from its vertical position andthe rod 15 rotated to release the spring 9 to allow it drop down to the position shown in Fig. 1

- so that when the outside door is closed after the deposit of the articles to be delivered with-in the box, the spring will enter the notch in the catch 8 and lock said door in its closed position. The cook or person in charge of the box in the house can, by glancing at the indicator 16, determine whether the outside door has been opened and if the indicator is turned down to the position shown in Fig. l, the attendant will understand that packages to be delivered have been placed in the box or at least the outside door has been opened for that purpose. After the packages have been removed from the box, the red 15 wll be partially rotated,

swinging the indicator 16 to a horizontal position and thereupon the spring Q will be raised and disengaged from the catch so that the delivery man can again open the outside door and place the packages to be delivered in the box.

This comparatively simple device insures the safety of groceries and other articles placed in the box against theft, as it will be impossible without breaking the door to obtain access to the box from the outside until the rod l5 has been rotated through the movement of the indicator and the locking spring 9 disengaged from the door 7.-

' I claim as my invention: f

l. The combination, with a wall, of a delivery box mounted therein and:l provided vice for said outside door, means visible on the inside of the. building when the inside door is closed for indicating the position of with outside and inside doors, a locking detlie locking device and moving it to its releasing position to allow the outside door to be opened, said outside door having means for tripping said locking device when the door is opened whereby said locking device may lock the outside door when it is closed.

Q. The combination, with a building wall, l of a box mounted therein having outside and inside doors and a catch for theoutside door, a spring having means for engaging said catch to lock said door when closed, and means for moving said spring to release said catch and allow the outside door to be opened,

and means `actuated through the opening of the outside door for releasing said spring to lock said door when it is closed.

3. The combination, with a building wall, of a box mounted therein and having outside and inside doors, a rotating rod mounted in said box and having an indicator visible from the inside of the building, a catch mounted on the out-side door, a locking de vice actuated through the movement of said rod in one direction for releasing said catch and means mounted on the outside door for operating said rod to release said locking device when Vthe outside door is opened to fill the box to allow said locking device to engage said catch and lock said outside door when it is' closed after, the packages have been placed therein.

4. The combination, with a box having opposit-ely arranged inside and outside doors,

va locking device for the outside door, an indicatoi adjacent the inside door, means in mountedin -saidbox, a` spring and mea-ns mounted on said rod and lengaging said spring for putting it under tension, a catch mounted on said outside door in the path of said spring forA locking said door when closed, said rod having a depending pin and a cam vdevice mounted on said outside door in position to engage. said pin and rotate said rod andreleasesaid spring when said outside door is opened to set said spring in position to 'lock the door when closed.

6. The combination, with a delivery box having outside and inside doors, of a. catch mounted on the outside door, a spring meinber mounted to engage said catch and normally lock said outside door in its closed position, means operable from the inner side of said box for disengaging said spring from said catch and unlocking said outside door, and means mounted on. said outside door and becomingoperative when the door is in position when said outside door is opened` to relock said outside door when it is closed. In witness whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand-this 13th day of June, 1918.

FREDERICK Kans.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. G. 

